Question: Does it hurt to have radioactive cancer treatment? And how long are you radioactive for?

Rob Brass answered on 12 Jun 2016:

No, the treatment itself doesn’t hurt at all, you cant feel it! Although depending on what we’re treating there are sometimes side effects which aren’t much fun, such as quite a bad sore throat if we’re treating the neck, but these normally go away.

With normal radiotherapy you aren’t ever radioactive! We treat using the machines shown in the pictures / video. These fire a beam of photons (light!) that we shape and aim at the target. Once the beam is switched off the radiation goes away, just like turning off a light!

A good way to think of it is like a sunbed 🙂 When it’s switched on the light comes on and does its work on your skin, when it’s switched off it stops. You cant then go and stand next to your friend and give them a tan too! 🙂

There are other ways radiation is used for cancer care, it’s called ‘Nuclear Medicine’, I’ve done a placement in it while training but I normally don’t get involved in it. Here they use things like radioactive drinks to treat you from the inside, then you do stay radioactive for a while! Although it’s not particularly dangerous, you’re just told not have lots of close contact with anyone for a couple of days!